Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People and The Trip) claims that his film is neither pornography nor traditional acting. The movie follows a young British scientist named Matt (Kieran O’Brien) and an American named Lisa (Margo Stilley), who meet at a rock concert and retire to his apartment. What follows is a story of a young couple navigating a relationship between shows (where the titular nine songs come from), Matt’s trip to Antarctica and a great deal of sex. Unfortunately, it is hard to separate that tale from the incredibly graphic and purportedly real stuff happening on screen. Instead of being a study in human sexuality and near-crippling emotional baggage, which it could have been, the film is renowned as one of the most graphic mainstream movies ever. Well, so far. Although it is hard to imagine how much further a director could go before crossing over into hardcore.
